The University of Cincinnati's Blue Ash campus enrolled 5,074 students in fall 2026, a 3.7% jump that helped push UC to its largest headcount ever.

UC's official fall 2026 enrollment reached 54,437 students across its three campuses, a 1.4% increase over the prior year, the university announced Tuesday, Sept. 8.

The gain: 755 students.

It marks the fifth straight year of enrollment growth at the Blue Ash campus. The campus sits on 135 acres in the heart of the city.

A new tuition program drove much of the growth. The Bearcats Affordability Grant covers remaining tuition costs for Ohio residents who are Pell-eligible and come from families earning less than $75,000 a year. The grant fueled nearly 10% growth in Ohio students choosing UC, according to Jack Miner, vice provost for enrollment management.

"Students from Ohio and the tri-state are realizing that UC is a world-class university right in their own backyard," Miner said in the announcement.

More than three-quarters of UC's freshman class comes from Ohio. The university enrolled 7,352 first-year students from the state, along with 631 from Kentucky and 817 from Indiana.

First-year enrollment across all three UC campuses rose 10.6% to 9,566 students. Undergraduate enrollment climbed 3.9% to 44,207. First-generation college students account for more than 30% of all undergraduates, totaling 13,607.

The College Credit Plus program, which lets middle and high school students earn college credit, posted a record 4,053 participants, up 27.9%. New first-year enrollment in the College of Nursing jumped 32% to 371 students, and the College of Allied Health Sciences saw a 23.1% increase to 608 first-year students.

UC's co-op program also continues to expand. In the 2025-26 academic year, students earned $99.5 million in paid work experiences across more than 9,614 placements with 1,798 employers, according to the university. Students averaged $13,130 per semester in co-op earnings.

The enrollment figures come as UC Blue Ash invests in its campus. A $300,000 grant from the L&L Nippert Charitable Foundation is funding renovations to the Veterinary Technology Building, adding an exam and intake room, a student lounge and reconfigured office spaces.